In My Kitchen - March 2016

Here's what's happening in my kitchen at the moment...

KEFIR

I love the tang of kefir.  Sometimes I place a chai teabag and a touch of maple syrup in some kefir and let it steep overnight for an iced tea drink with a twist. It makes an excellent breakfast if you're pressed for time or not hungry enough for solid food... or when you're going to be running 10 kilometers and you don't want to run on a tummy full of Vegemite toast or porridge.

RICE NOODLE FISH by Matt Goulding

My husband bought me this eye candy.  He knows I'm totally obsessed with all things Japanese... and food.  He's a good guy.

BIGOLI de BASSAN

My whole family adores pasta.  I swear I could make pasta for dinner every single night and there'd be no complaints.  I think I'm just as in love with the packaging though.

CALLEBAUT DARK CALLETS

Normally I go for 70% cocoa solids for cooking, but sometimes you just have to have a packet of chocolate buttons for just nibbling on, right?

MATCHA

I've been on a matcha bender lately.  I've been making matcha lattes, which I thought were totally pretentious until I made one and now I'm positively evangelical about them.

 APPLES

We harvested our apples.  Apple everything from here to eternity... starting with this Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake.

So, that's my kitchen for now.


Pop on over and check out the links to bloggers’ kitchens around the world at In My Kitchen with Maureen at Orgasmic Chef.

In My Kitchen - February 2016

Here's what's happening in my kitchen at the moment...

Chocolate Covered Everything

That saying "too much of a good thing" definitely applied our Christmas chocolate supplies.  I do love chocolate, but the amount we were given for Christmas was more (much more) than we could eat straight from the box, so I've been making the most of it by putting it into all sorts of sweet treats. Chocolate Mousse anyone?

Condiment Caddy

My newest obsession is trays and caddies to store cutlery, sauces, condiments, napkins etc for easy storage and portability.  I've got one for Japanese sauces (above), one for knives/forks/spoons/S&P, one for vinegars, one for pickles, one for hot sauces, one for all the stuff I need for when I fire up the BBQ... the list goes on. They are really handy to grab off the shelf or out of the pantry... not to mention aiding and abetting my OCD.

Homemade Pasta

When you have laying hens, you'll find any excuse to use their delicious eggs.  Pasta is a case in point.  Nothing compares to the silkiness you get from rolling your own dough made with the freshest eggs.  I made these tiny tortellini one afternoon, but ran out of time to photograph the final dish.  If you're interested in making your own filled pasta, my recipe for Ricotta and Spinach Tortelli with a Simple Tomato Sauce is very similar in ingredients and technique.  But be warned, you my never want Barilla again.

Spice Temple by Neil Perry

One of our favourite restaurants is Spice Temple.  When there's something we want to celebrate, we make a booking.  But now, with the publication of this book, we can knock out a bowl of egg noodles with XO and bacon whenever we darn well feel like it... no birthday or anniversary required.

Tomatoes:

Homegrown tomatoes are the best.  Every year I stress out about not planting enough, then by late February I'm cursing because I have so many tomatoes, I'm stuck in the kitchen on stifling days making ketchup, tomato sauce and passata... this year, I'm sure, will be no different.

Coffee, always Coffee

After quite a lot of scorching weather, we've had a few milder days to see out the end of the boys school holidays.  Cooler weather and imminent early starts mean sleep ins and coffee in bed.  Ethiopian from the local roasters.

So, that's my kitchen for now.

Pop on over and check out the links to bloggers’ kitchens around the world at In My Kitchen with Maureen at Orgasmic Chef.

In My Kitchen - January 2016

Happy New Year!

Here's what's happening in my kitchen at the moment...

Christmas Cake:

It's a rare thing for me to receive a gift of baked goods, but I love it when I do.  This pretty little Christmas cake from Baylies Epicurean Delights came as part of a hamper filled with festive goodies.  I do love a slice of rich fruit cake with a cup of tea for an afternoon treat on the days between Christmas and New Year... or on any other day of the year for that matter.  I'm not a princess about it.

Mojitos:

The makings of a refreshing mojito are always within close reach at this time of the year... because summertime.

Fruit Pastes:

Cheeseboards are de rigueur at my place during the holidays.  I like to offer lots of picky bits and open bottles of Champagne when friends come over... or when Clint and I just decide to chill out poolside... or Netflixside.  What better way to amp up the offerings than by adding a fruit paste along side your Saint Vernier?  Don't mind if I do.



Garlic:

We've had a bumper crop of garlic from our garden this year.  It's an ingredient I use almost every day, so I'm very invested in it.  Chinese imports begone.

New Kitchen by Karen Martini:

It wouldn't be Christmas for me without a new cookbook and Karen Martini's New Kitchen is the most recent addition to my library.  (And by library, I mean the room next to my kitchen which is groaning with cookbooks stuffed to bursting on every shelf, tabletop, ledge and flat surface available... or not available).



Bubbles:

... Because life's short, right?

So, that's my kitchen for now.


Pop on over and check out the links to bloggers’ kitchens around the world at In My Kitchen with Maureen at Orgasmic Chef.

In My Kitchen - December 2015

Here's what's happening in my kitchen at the moment...

Lemon Curd:

With great lemons comes great lemon curd... that's what Uncle Ben said, or something like that.  I'm still picking lemons and making everything lemony. We've eaten jars and jars of lemon curd... on scones, on toast, on pancakes and waffles, in cakes, on cakes (Madeira Cake with Homemade Lemon Curd and Fresh Berries), in pastry (Lemon Cream Choux Buns)... spooned from jar to mouth... and we're still not sick of it.  It's pretty much a fridge staple around here.

Pomegranates:

With a pomegranate in the house, there's always the opportunity to bring a touch of the exotic to any dish.  I love to up the Arabian Nights vibe by a whacking out the arils over a salad of tomatoes and roasted lemons or over a cake.  There can't be a more festive fruit.

Gooseberries:  

Not quite in my kitchen yet, but our gooseberries are nearly ready.  And when they are, they are going straight into a pie, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Home Baked by Yvette Van Boven:

So many totally delicious things to bake from this stunning book by Yvette Van Boven. Cake for days...

The Makings of a Kir Royale (or three):

Okay, so my bar isn't technically in my kitchen, but that's where I am 90 percent of the time, so that's where my drink is.

So, that's my kitchen for now.

Pop on over and check out the links to bloggers’ kitchens around the world at In My Kitchen on 

Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

In My Kitchen - November 2015

Here's what's happening in my kitchen at the moment...

Macrobiotic Sea Salt: 

I use salt everyday in just about every dish.  Quality salt is important to me.  It's always on hand in my kitchen, always just within arms reach.  It brings out the savouriness in savoury dishes and the sweetness in sweet dishes.  It's the salt of the earth.

Sourdough Baguettes:

I've been making batches and batches of these crusty, chewy delicious baguettes lately.  They have been disappearing just as fast as I can churn them out.  Seriously, if someone told me I couldn't eat bread anymore, they may as well just take me out into the paddock and shoot me.

Seaweed: 

We eat tons of seaweed.  My pantry is stacked with packets and packets of wakame, aonori, hijiki, kombu, nori... My insides must look like a veritable kelp forest (try not to visualise that.)

Falcon ware: 

More falcon ware, because a girl can never have too many enamel cooking and drinking vessels.

Barberries: 

I've had a craving for Zereshk Polow (Iranian Chicken and Rice with Barberries) for a while now.  I guess we all know what's going to be on the menu at my house in the not too distant future.

Mrs Bridges Chipotle, Bean & Chilli Chutney: 

This stuff takes a roasted chicken and avocado sandwich to a whole new level.

 Homemade Ricotta:

You can't beat homemade ricotta.  It's essential for making Ricotta Gnocchi with Butter Toasted Walnuts and Thyme.  Well, not essential, but it makes it super special.

This Could Get Messy by James Wirth: 

I want to make and eat everything in this book, just sayin'.

So, that's my kitchen for now.

Pop on over and check out the links to bloggers’ kitchens around the world at In My Kitchen on
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

In My Kitchen - October 2015

Here's what's happening in my kitchen at the moment...

Citrus:

If you're a regular reader of my blog, then I've probably bored you to tears already with my harping on about all the citrus fruit I've got at the moment.  If not, you'll most likely have tears of boredom in your eyes by the end of this post.  Yes, I grow a lot of citrus.  St. Clement's has nothing on me.

Blood Orange Juice:

Like I said, I've got citrus, citrus everywhere. On every flat surface and in every basket, bowl and box.  Bored yet?

Jersey Cream:

Jersey Cream from a local farm.  I see scones in my near future... probably orange scones topped with Orange and Vanilla Bean Marmalade and a big dollop of this lush cream.  (The irony that the bottle of cream has an orange lid is not lost on me.)  Or it could easily adorn a thick slice of my Lemon, Coconut, Sour Cream Cake (Lemons for a break from the oranges... just to mix things up a bit.)

"00" Flour:

I have bags and bags of this fine grade Italian flour in my larder.  Can't live without the stuff.

Ravida Extra Virgin Olive Oil:

According to the website this "award winning house blend recognized as “one of the best olive oils in the world” is an elegant, perfectly balanced oil with aromas of medium ripe tomato, freshly mown hay and lemon blossom."  See, just can't get way from citrus.

The Snacking Dead:

I've had this book for a while, but we recently started watching a new season of The Walking Dead so the cookbook has made an appearance in my kitchen again.  With recipes like Angel of Death Brown Sugar Bacon Bites, Cat Head Biscuits with Sawmill Gravy, Gory Red Grinders and Guac and Load Guacamole, how could I resist?  There are times when a girl just needs a parody in a cookbook (and a break from BLOOD oranges... sorry).  

Old Glass Jug:

This was my Mother In Law's jug.  She never used it, it was always stuck in a cupboard somewhere.  I inherited it and now I fill it with juice (blood orange, what else?) every chance I get.  And when I do, I think of her.

Okay, you can wake up now.

So, that's my kitchen for now.

Pop on over and check out the links to bloggers’ kitchens around the world at In My Kitchen on
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

In My Kitchen - September 2015

Here's what's happening in my kitchen at the moment...

Dark Coconut Toffee Organic Chocolate:

If you hang out with me long enough (like for say, 5 minutes), you'll soon realise that I like chocolate. Whenever I see a new flavour, brand, variety, size or shape, I must try it.  I have a whole pantry shelf dedicated to chocolate.  Willy Wonka's got nothing on me. Oh, and check out the fine print - butter and sea salt, CRUNCHY AND TOASTED. They didn't need to convince me, but I'm glad they did.

Capi Ginger Beer:

My sons cooked dinner last night.  When it's their turn to cook, they trawl through cookbooks and magazines with the freedom of knowing they can choose whatever they like to cook and eat.  (Last night they cooked Piri Piri Pork Fillet with Apple Slaw.)  When they cook, it usually means a quick trip to the store. (Because they inevitably choose something I don't already have in the house - and if you saw my pantry and fridge you'd wonder how they managed it, but they do.)  On our shopping trip, they found this ginger beer. (They don't get soft drink very often, so ginger beer is a treat) and asked if they could try it.  According to the Dan Murphy's website, "Capi Ginger Beer is a blend of fresh Australian ginger juice, lemon essential oils, chilli and capsicum extract.  The up-front aromas immediately reveal the fresh ginger, while the lemon essential oils ensures a perfectly balanced flavour profile.  Finally, the chilli and capsicum extracts provide the perfect amount of spice kick on the back palate."  The boys gave it a big thumbs up (the grown-ups drank gin mojitos). I did have a sip, and it was really refreshing. Might have to find a cocktail to test it on.




Cacao Nibs:

These crunchy little nuggets have been making an appearance on my granola and porridge at breakfast time lately. They were sprinkled in and on some Cacao Nib Muffins with Dark Chocolate Glaze earlier today.  They are chocolaty, without being sweet. Which is pretty sweet when you want a punch of cacao in the face without the sugar high. Which, if you're anything like me, is pretty often.

Tomatoes in Cans and Bottles:

Fresh tomatoes at this time of year suck.  I've used up all my homegrown preserved tomatoes, so I headed to the fabulous local Italian delicatessen and stocked up on all manner of canned and bottled toms.  I can make pasta sauce to my hearts content until the fresh ones start appearing in my garden.  (I'll tell you a secret.  I'm just a little bit in love with the packaging. I like to open my pantry and gaze at my stash. Does that make me weird?)




Colavita Black Olive Tapenade:

My eldest son is mad for olives and he loves this stuff.  It's so quick and easy to slap on some crackers for an after school snack. And seriously, finding healthy snacks is a full time job.

Mr Pitta Traditional Pitta:

I usually make my own pitta (recipe here), but on days when I run out of time/energy, I turn to Mr Pitta.  It's the second best pitta around. All my Greek friends tell me so.

Honey and Co.: The Baking Book by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich:

I'm a sucker for a good baking cookbook, I will not lie, and this is a good one.  Check out my slightly adapted versions of their Pistachio, Rose and Strawberry Buns and Fudgy Chocolate Brownie Sandwich Cookies with Tahini Cream if you don't believe me.

Anyway, that's my kitchen for now.

Pop on over and check out the links to bloggers’ kitchens around the world at In My Kitchen on 

Fig Jam and Lime Cordial